Vehicle backing mirror apparatus



p. 20,. 1932. H. A. sHAPlRo ET AL 198779997 VEHICLE BACKING MIRRORAPPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1959 F5932 1 2 A Il; A 3 a li x n lN/TRS jHYMANALSHAPIRO BY PAUL FRAUENDORF ATTORNEY' vrear end of the vehicle.

Patented Sept. 20, 1932 CALIFORNIA l Y VEIIICLRIRACVKING MIRRORAPPARATUS applicati@ alea rebraary s,- '193o. serial No. 426,220.

c QOurrinvention relates to `a lvehicle backing Amirror apparatus,4particularly adapted for vehicles in which the operator`A cannot see thevrea-r Vendv of the vehiclejor the portion of the roadway or spaceimmediately behind the VThe objects offthis invention are: First,tofprovide an apparatus' of this class for au- `tomobiles,A trucks,stages, or other vehicles,

1 in which the operator of the vehicle islocated at th'effo'rwardportion of the vehicle orV 1n Asuchiaiposition that he. has a clear viewof the` roadway at the front of the vehicle,

VVwhere'bythe operatonvwhile located in such position for normallyV`operatingV the i vehicle in aforward direction,y maysee a considerableportion ofthe roadway,ordriveway, or other Vspace, immediately at therear end o-f the vehicle and a considerable space to either sideoperator before orwhen backing up the veat therear end of thevehicle sothat the vhicle, asv 1 whenbackingv from a igarage or arkinofv lace orWhen arklno' the car or p b Y7 b vehicle, canl seewvhetlier therear-isclear Vbefore or when backing up, thus-.providing meansV for avoidingrmanyfofy the accidentsl or injury' to persons, automobiles or otherproperty; second to provide an apparatus of this class in Icombinationwith the `usual rear sight. mirrorat the forward portion of the `vehiclewhereby the space immediately. at

Y the'rear ofthe vehicle maybe seen inaddition to the'roadway orspace-considerabledis# tances to the rear,' for which such rear sight`mirrors are adapted, thus confining theoperatorsvision to one spot fortaking :in -vis- .ua-ily substantial-ly the Awholeof the space orroadway at the rearof the vehicle ;v third,to

V.provide an apparatus of this class in which Aarelativelylarge mirrorispositioned at an yout 4vofy the v way position7V Ais concealed from viewand retained in anspace or recess within the vcontour of the vehicleorwithin'thewalls thereof 5. ifth, toprovide= such a mirror at they rearend of the vehicle u*which fmay'r be readily shifted to various anglesby the operator in the drivers compartment of the vehicle', when`desiring to shift theV field of vision at the rear end of the vehicle;sixth, to provide a novel mounting forA a mirrorV at the rearlend of thevehicle whereby the same maybe supported in a substantially concealedIIYMAN A. srIArIRdoR IiosANeRLEsAND PAUL .IRAURNRoRRzoR cULvER CITY,

out of the way position when not in use, and y whereby, When` themirrorfis shifted toits-l operative position, may be. titled at thedesired -anglefor viewing the spaceor roadway immediately'at the rearend of the vehicle;

seventh, to provide novel means for shifting yand controllingy theposition of such mirror from the operators compartment of the 'veshicle, and which means may be enclosed within the top andwalls o f thevehicle body; eighth, to provide as a whole a novelly` constructed andoperatedA vehicle backing mirror apparatus; and, ninth, toprovide an ap#A paratus of this class whichis'very simple yand economicalof-construction, durablegflexiblemwhich may be readily p installedon-.orapplied' to kvehicles now in use, and an, ap-

paratus which is easily operated and which will not readilydeteriorate.orl getl out .of order. Y f l J With these and other objects in view-our'inventionconsists. of certain novel features of construction;combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will behereinafter described in detaill and vparticular-ly .set forth in theappended clai1ns,:` reference being had to the accompanying drawing andto Jche characters of reference thereon whichform V a part ofthisapplication'in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side-view of a common type ofV enclosedautomobile incorporating our vehicle backing `mirrory appara- 'tus inone form; Figi-2 -isa rear end view of thel automobile showingthe rearmirror in operative position and showlngrby dash lines the lateralextent off-the fieldof-vrsion; Fig.

Bfis an enlarged; sectional elevational view-olf the krear end ofthevehicle body: at the upper `portion'oftherear window ona longitudinal fthe operator, and Fig; 6'is a fragmentary portion of the window.

guides for the shifting of the mirror 1 into sectional view of ourapparatus taken through 6-6 of Fig. 4:.

Like characters of reference refer tosimilar parts and portionsthroughout the views of the drawings. Y j

The embodiment of our invention, as shown in the drawings, consists of arear mirror 1, a supporting frame 2, a Bowden cable 3, an operating knobet, and a rear sight mirror 5.

The automobile shown is an enclosed automobile-a sedan-of common typehaving a body A and a window B at its rear end. The frame 2 of ourapparatus, as disclosed, is located in the back wall A1 of the body A ina vertical recess A2 immediatelybehind the rear window B and upwardlyfrom the upper The support 2, in this instance, consists of a sheetmetal plate having vertical channels 2a at the inner sides of itslateral edges, and having also vertical slots 2?) in the plate spacedinwardly from the lateral edges of the plate. This support 2 forms therear wall of the recess A2 and ,supports and positions at the front sidethereand out of the recessor relative to the support, the lateral edgesof the mirror 1 fitting into the channels 2a. At the upper portion ofthe frame 1a of the mirror l are provided Y mirrorl may be pivoted ortilted to an anguhooks 6 which, when the mirror is positioned therecess, extend backwardly throu h the and also pivot means for limiting,respectively, the downward position of the mirror 1, as well as formingmeans about which the lar position, as shown in Fig. 3. The means forshifting and for controlling the position of the mirror 1, consists inthis instance of a Bowden cable 3, comprising a tube 3a anda wire 3b.The tube 3a extends upwardly from the support 2 within the back wall A1of the body, as shown in Fig. 3, and thenv forwardly i through the topA3 and terminates, in this instance, at the forward portion of the bodyimmediatelyabovethe drivers head, o-r at a a location readily accessibleby him. To the i frontend of the tube 3a is connected a tubular guide 7which extends longitudinally vof the vehicle and is open or slotted atits under side. The wire 3b of the Bowden cable is pivotally connectedat its rear end to lugs 8 secured to the normally upper portion of themirror frame la and extending to the side thereof opposite the hooks 6.These lugs or arms 8 form levers for'tilting Vthe mirror 1 about Ythepivots or stops 2c when the latter are engaged by the hooks 6. This wire3b extends through the tube 3a and terminates in. the guide 7.- 1 To theforward end ofthe wire is fixedly connected the knob 4, or othersuitable-means, which is slidable on the guide VTand extends downwardlytherefrom and is vreadily accessible bythe operator. of the ve- The Wire3b is also so connected to the f at an angle substantially as showninFigs. Y

land 3, thearea capable of being viewed varying with the curvature ofthe mirror 1 and itsldistance from the eye of the operator.V

' The operator may look directly into the mirror 1but the preferablemethod isf the use of the mirro-r 1 incombination with the conventionalrear sight mirrorY 5 infront of the operator. When looking into `therear sight mirror 5, the Vdriver views simultaneously the roadway in therear a considerable Vdistance from his vehicle for the approach of othervehicles, and simultaneously, or without redirecting his vision, hemayviewithe space immediately at the rear of the vehicle to determinethe condition thereof and to determine whether anypersons or objects arein his way. The latter featureis primarily desirable when backing fromgarages, or

parking places, and also when parking a vehicleon the roadside or otherparking rplace where there are other vehicles. Y Y.

The position of the mirror 1, shown by solid lines in Figs 1 andv 3, istheordinary operative position of ourapparatus and, in the positionshown, the objects of the space behind the vehicle are refiected throughthe vrear window'of the body of the automobile to the rear sight mirror5. When the'mirror 1 is not in use, the same may be readily shifted outofthe way by merely throwing the knob li forwardly or by actuatingmeans. V

Itwill be here noted that the curvature of Vthejmirror lis dependent toa large extent upon its distance from the rear sight mirror shiftingany. other decreasing) as .f the distance i-.from the rear "sight,mirroriz isuincreased.,`

n @Though wehave lfsho'wn and described a particular construction,c'ombinationlandariiqingementfof partsgand portions,l 1 we do Vnot vV=wisliltobeliiniltedlto thisfp 'articulan construc-vv tion, combinationY#and frarrangement, :but desireietoll include i thei scope `of ourinventionlthe-Jc'onstructi'on, .combination and arrangementsubstantially as set forth in the ap ended Claims. Y

aving thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecureby Letters Patent is:

l. In an apparatus of therclass described, the combination with avehicle having a window at the rear end, a convex mirror f mounted atthe rear end of the vehicleat the upper portion of the window andvdirected downwardly and backwardly from the vehicle, a rear sight mirrormounted at thel forward portion of the vehicle from whichV the images onthe first mirror'may be seen through said rear window, and Vmanual meansat the forward portion of th-e automo bile for shifting the convexmirror from an inoperative position into view when desired so thatreflected images can beseen thereby.

2. In'an apparatus of the class described, 1

the combination with a vehicle, havingya window at the rear end, amirrormounted at the rear'end' ofthe vehicle at the upper por-` tion of thewindow andfdirected downwardly and backwardly from the vehicle,l a rearsight 1 mirror mounted at the forward portion of the vehicle from whichthe images on the first mirrorv may be seen throughjsaid rear window,the body of the vehicle having avertical opening extending upwardly fromthe reary window, and means for drawing' theY first mirrorinto saidopening.

3; In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination `with a vehicle, having a window at the rear end, amirror mounted at the rear end of the vehicle atftheupper portionbackwardly from the vehicle, a rear sight mirror mounted at the forwardyportion of the vehicle from which the images on the first mirror may beseen through said vrear wini dow, the body of the vehiclehavingavertical openingextending upwardly from the`v rear window, and means fordrawing the first mirror into said opening, said means coinprising aBowden cable located inthe top of the vehicle and extending from theiirst mirror to the operators compartment of the vehicle. A Y

4. In an apparatus of the class described,

a vehicle body having-a vision opening in;`

its rear wall, and a substantiallyvertical re cess in saidrear-wall'above said vision open- Ving, guide means in said recessand amirror f mounted on sai'd guide means and adapted 'T -to be drawn intosaid recess, said mirror',

' guide means, there being provided atthe up- 'whenwithdrawn from therecess, Vbeing directed backwardly and vdownwardly with its :reflectingside disposeddcwnwardly and for- Y .wardly,

5.' In an apparatus of the class described, av-

`vehicle body havingavision openingV inthe rear wall, and asubstantially vertical recess -insaid rear wall above said visionopening, guide means in said recess,'a mirror mounted onsaid guide meansvand adapted to be drawn into said; recess, said mirror, when withdrawn`from the recess, being directed backwardly posed downwardlyandforwardly, and means l at theforward portion of the vehicle" body sat :"and downwardly with its reflecting side dis for forcing said mirrorintoV and from said recess.. 1 j Y p 6. In'an apparatus `of the classdescribed,

lave'hi'cle body having a vision opening in the rear wall, and asubstantially vertical recess in said rear wallsabove said visionopening, guide means in said recess, a mirror mounted onsaid guide meansand adaptedto be drawn into said recess, said mirror, when withdrawn Yfrom the recess, being directed Ybaclrwardly and downwardly with its`refiecting side disposed downwardly and forwardly, a Bowden cablesecuredto the mirrorthrough the recess Yand mounted in thetop of the vehiclebody and vextending with its forward endfinto the 495 operatorscompartmentl of the vehicle, and Nmeans at thel 'forward end of theBowden cable to facilitate the shifting of the same for;

forcing saidl mirror into and from said recess.. c' y150()v -7.`Inanapparatus of the class described,

vehicle body having' a vision opening in the rear wall, and asubstantially vertical recess `in said'irear wall Vabove said visionopening,-

`guiderrneansvinsaid recess, a mirror mounted lon said guidemeans andadaptedv to be drawn from thev recess, being directedl backwardly anddownwardly with itsv refiectingside disly vics. f intosaidrecesasaidmirror,when withdrawn v posed downwardly and forwardly, and

rear sight mirror `mounted atthe forward" portion Aof thevehicle bodyand disposed with its reflecting surface to the rear,the imagesdirectedjupon the first mirrorY being seen by looking intovtlie secondmirror-.Q`

8L 'In-'an 'apparatus of theclass described,

iic

thecombination Vwith a vehicle body, -of 1 substantially verticalsupport at the rear-portion of the vehicle body and provided thereinwith vertical guides, a mirror frame hay# ling guide portions' at itsnormally "upperp'ortion,said guide-'portion beingl mounted on` theguides of the support, there being pro- Y vided stopf portions atthelower ends fof the per portion of ,themirror 'framefa forwardly'eXtending arm,means"connected `to :said arm for drawing said frameupwardly and'dewn-` c wardlyion. said guides-*and for tiltin'gthe--sa'mez backwardly. about said. stops, Vsaid frame "when drawnupwardly, beingl posi-f f7 substantially'vertical support at the rearpor-v tion of the vehicle body and provided therein with verticalguides, a mirror frame having guide portions at its normally upperportion,

said guide portion being mounted onthe guides' of the support, therebeing `provided Istop portions at the lowervendsv oftheguide means,therebeing providedv atifthe upper lportion ofthe mirrorV frame aforwardly extending arm, means connected to said arm for drawing saidframe upwardly and foi'- wardlyion said guidesand for tilting` the sainebackwardly about said stops, said frame when drawn upwardly, beingpositioned in front of the support, and` a. mirror mounted on the mirrorframe with its reiiecting sur face disposed forwardly and downwardlywhen the mirror frame is in -itslower posiktioinsaid ineans for raisingandloweiing.

said frameV comprising av Bowden cable connected at one end to said armand extending with itsother end adjacent the driycrs compartment ofthevehicle,l y i 5110. Vln an apparatus of the class described,

the combination' with a vehicle body, of .a substantially verticalsupport at the rear portion of the vehicle body-and provided K- thereinwith vertical guides, a mirror frame having guide portions at itsiiorniallyupper portion, said guide portion being mounted on the guidesof the support, there being provided stop portions at the lowervends ofthe guide means, there being provided at the upper portion of theniirrorframea forwardly extending arm, means connected Atosa'id arin fordrawing said frame upwardly, and downwardly onV said guides. and fortilting the sarnebaclzwardly about said stops, said frame when. drawnupwardly, beingl positioned in frontof the support, a mirror'niounted onthemirror frame with its reflecting-gl surface disposedforwardly anddownwardly when the mirror frame is in its lower positioii,'and

second mirror loeatedat the forward portion of the vehicle body vandldisposed with its reiiecting surface to 4the rear.V i 11. In anapparatus of the classV described, the combination with a `vehicle body,of

guide nieans conforming' substantially with the contour ofthe body, amirror having at one edge. guide portions shiftably mounted in theguides', said guide means having pivot in'eans at the lowerportionsthereof for receivingand pivotally supporting the-guide portionsof the mirrorwhen the guide portions'V are shifted to the lowerendsVofthe f guides, and means for forcing the guide portions of the mirroralong theguidesrand for -ftiltinglthe same relative Vthereto;- Saidinii.-

ror, when 'shifted to its :tilted position, being directed backwardlyJatV an 1angle;withV1 the Y set, our `hands at Los'; Angeles,:'Calforn'ia,

-iiYMifiit A. siii-inline... -L PAUL sniiuiiiinoins.-

this 27thday of-January 1930;

